dc.description.abstract |
Street vending contributes to a significant share of the urban informal economy
through reducing poverty and unemployment. The number of street vendors in Kenya
has increased as they take up street trade as a means of survival strategy. The
government is increasingly coming to terms with addressing domestic economic
problems and has been incorporating policies aimed at boosting this sector in its
documents, an example being Sessional Paper No. 2 of 1992, which addressed
specific means of promoting conducive environment for business. The same emphasis
is also laid in the current Development Plan of Vision 2030 which asserts that most of
the employment in trade is found in the informal sector and aims at providing secure
business location, credit, training and access to markets. Even though a lot has been
undertaken to promote the sector, little effect has been seen as more vendors return to
the streets rendering the initiatives unsuccessful. This study sought to assess hawkers
response to new market sites in Eldoret town using emdedded research design. The
objectives of the study were to examine the factors behind relocation, to assess the
effects of relocation on street vending in Eldoret town, to establish the challenges
emanating from the relocation on street vendors operation, to explore appropriate
strategies of addressing street vending in the town. The targeted population was
vendors in Kenya. The source population was 4,052 vendors at Kahoya and West
markets.Proportionate sampling was used to select a representative sample from
Kahoya and West markets. Purposive sampling was used to select West and Kahoya
markets and 30 key informants who were interviewed. Systematic random sampling
was used to draw the actual 384 respondents from each market who filled the
questionnaires. In addition, observation and photography were used to collect data.
Data analysis employed quantitative techniques on the questionnaires and qualitative
methods for content analysis. It was established that the relocation sites were not
economically viable for trading, vendors experienced challenges thus resorted to
selling at the CBD. It is suggested that by ensuring vendor involvement can planned
urban change be accomplished, major activities be decetralised away from the CBD,
on street space allocation could be tried, develop natural markets, and urban planners
should consider long term viability of future projects. |
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